Shakespeare Portal

Act 5, Scene 4

Before the walls of Athens

  1. [Trumpets sound. Enter ALCIBIADES with his powers.]
  2. Alcibiades
  3. 2317 Sound to this coward and lascivious town
  4. 2318 Our terrible approach.
  5. [A parley sounded. The SENATORS appear upon the walls.]
  6. Alcibiades
  7. 2319 Till now you have gone on and fill'd the time
  8. 2320 With all licentious measure, making your wills
  9. 2321 The scope of justice; till now, myself, and such
  10. 2322 As slept within the shadow of your power,
  11. 2323 Have wander'd with our travers'd arms, and breath'd
  12. 2324 Our sufferance vainly. Now the time is flush,
  13. 2325 When crouching marrow, in the bearer strong,
  14. 2326 Cries of itself, 'No more!' Now breathless wrong
  15. 2327 Shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease,
  16. 2328 And pursy insolence shall break his wind
  17. 2329 With fear and horrid flight.
  18. First Senator
  19. 2330 Noble and young,
  20. 2331 When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,
  21. 2332 Ere thou hadst power or we had cause of fear,
  22. 2333 We sent to thee, to give thy rages balm,
  23. 2334 To wipe out our ingratitude with loves
  24. 2335 Above their quantity.
  25. Second Senator
  26. 2336 So did we woo
  27. 2337 Transformed Timon to our city's love
  28. 2338 By humble message and by promis'd means.
  29. 2339 We were not all unkind, nor all deserve
  30. 2340 The common stroke of war.
  31. First Senator
  32. 2341 These walls of ours
  33. 2342 Were not erected by their hands from whom
  34. 2343 You have receiv'd your griefs; nor are they such
  35. 2344 That these great towers, trophies, and schools, should fall
  36. 2345 For private faults in them.
  37. Second Senator
  38. 2346 Nor are they living
  39. 2347 Who were the motives that you first went out;
  40. 2348 Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excess
  41. 2349 Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,
  42. 2350 Into our city with thy banners spread.
  43. 2351 By decimation and a tithed death,—
  44. 2352 If thy revenges hunger for that food
  45. 2353 Which nature loathes,-take thou the destin'd tenth,
  46. 2354 And by the hazard of the spotted die
  47. 2355 Let die the spotted.
  48. First Senator
  49. 2356 All have not offended;
  50. 2357 For those that were, it is not square to take,
  51. 2358 On those that are, revenge: crimes, like lands,
  52. 2359 Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
  53. 2360 Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage;
  54. 2361 Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin
  55. 2362 Which, in the bluster of thy wrath, must fall
  56. 2363 With those that have offended. Like a shepherd
  57. 2364 Approach the fold and cull th' infected forth,
  58. 2365 But kill not all together.
  59. Second Senator
  60. 2366 What thou wilt,
  61. 2367 Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile
  62. 2368 Than hew to 't with thy sword.
  63. First Senator
  64. 2369 Set but thy foot
  65. 2370 Against our rampir'd gates and they shall ope,
  66. 2371 So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before
  67. 2372 To say thou'lt enter friendly.
  68. Second Senator
  69. 2373 Throw thy glove,
  70. 2374 Or any token of thine honour else,
  71. 2375 That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress
  72. 2376 And not as our confusion, all thy powers
  73. 2377 Shall make their harbour in our town till we
  74. 2378 Have seal'd thy full desire.
  75. Alcibiades
  76. 2379 Then there's my glove;
  77. 2380 Descend, and open your uncharged ports.
  78. 2381 Those enemies of Timon's and mine own,
  79. 2382 Whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof,
  80. 2383 Fall, and no more. And, to atone your fears
  81. 2384 With my more noble meaning, not a man
  82. 2385 Shall pass his quarter or offend the stream
  83. 2386 Of regular justice in your city's bounds,
  84. 2387 But shall be render'd to your public laws
  85. 2388 At heaviest answer.
  86. Both
  87. 2389 'Tis most nobly spoken.
  88. Alcibiades
  89. 2390 Descend, and keep your words.
  90. [The SENATORS descend and open the gates.]
  91. [Enter a SOLDIER.]
  92. Soldier
  93. 2391 My noble General, Timon is dead;
  94. 2392 Entomb'd upon the very hem o' the sea;
  95. 2393 And on his gravestone this insculpture, which
  96. 2394 With wax I brought away, whose soft impression
  97. 2395 Interprets for my poor ignorance.
  98. [ALCIBIADES reads the Epitaph.]
  99. Alcibiades
  100. 2396 'Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft;
  101. 2397 Seek not my name. A plague consume you wicked caitiffs left!
  102. 2398 Here lie I, Timon, who alive all living men did hate.
  103. 2399 Pass by, and curse thy fill; but pass, and stay not here thy
  104. 2400 gait.'
  105. 2401 These well express in thee thy latter spirits.
  106. 2402 Though thou abhorr'dst in us our human griefs,
  107. 2403 Scorn'dst our brain's flow, and those our droplets which
  108. 2404 From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit
  109. 2405 Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye
  110. 2406 On thy low grave, on faults forgiven. Dead
  111. 2407 Is noble Timon, of whose memory
  112. 2408 Hereafter more. Bring me into your city,
  113. 2409 And I will use the olive with my sword;
  114. 2410 Make war breed peace, make peace stint war, make each
  115. 2411 Prescribe to other, as each other's leech.
  116. 2412 Let our drums strike.
  117. [Exeunt.]